Coaching has helped me as a parent. There are many things that I have learned on what to do and what not to do. When you coach and you are not a parent, you think you have all the answers, but I did not. For me, I had to have children to make me a better coach. Some might argue that it made ma worse coach, but that is how I feel, personally. But, being a coach has allowed me to pay attention to how I act as a parent of an athlete and has helped me there also. Not only do I examine my own actions, I am open to feedback of other people, I think, more than others because I realize we all lose our minds with our own children.
Life is hard. Sports are easy. However, sports do prepare you for life, but they are not life. Dealing with adversity whether with a coach, losing, injury, or teammates are all part of growing up. Will I be able to step in everytime my kids need me? Yep, until they are adults or I die. So I hope I have preprared them for the brutality of life without me. Why? Because I will not always be there to pick them up, dust them off, and send them back into the fight. They must learn to do it themselves.
